Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure, Book 1

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market." ~ Matthew LeDrew

Shopping at the grocery store shouldn’t be dangerous. But the day Shelby Nichols stops for some carrots changes her life. As the cashier scans her purchases, a gunman robs the store and Shelby finds herself face to face with the killer. The next thing she knows, she's lying on the floor with a bullet wound to her head. That’s when things get crazy, and she begins to 'hear' what people are thinking. With this uncanny ability, her life takes on a whole new dimension. Her kids think she's bossy and too old to understand them, but that's nothing compared to her husband. He says he loves her, but what is it about the redhead at work that he doesn't want her to know? As if that isn't enough, the gunman knows she can identify him, and he's out to silence her forever. In her fight to stay alive, she is saved from certain death by a handsome hit-man with ties to organized crime. This pulls Shelby even deeper into danger, where knowing someone's thoughts can not only hurt her feelings, but get her killed.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market."~ Matthew LeDrew

'Carrots' a refreshing, different kind of sleuth story "The dialogue is well written and the story flows along nicely with a good number of twists and surprises. It's a good story, a readable novel and the start of something fine." ~ Sharon Haddock, Deseret News

I adored this book.Colleen Helme knows how to combine humor, mystery, and wit, and serve it up on silver platter! ~ After Dark Rendezvous

Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventureis in the same shelf as Stephanie Plum and Betsy Taylor in terms of comedy and hilarity. I love chic-lit plied with mystery and CHelme did not disappoint! Loved it! ~ Braine - Talk Supe: A Pop Fiction Book Blog

What a riveting read!Who would have thought that a story about a suburban mom traveling to the store to get carrots would evolve into such a mystery? I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a nice, light mystery with hilarious drama. I can't wait to read more from this author. ~ Sizzle & Swoon Book Reviews

Original crime fiction with a sublime twist of humour, it doesn't get any better than Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure. ~ Book Viral Reviews

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This book was a pleasant surprise. I had it kicking around on my Kindle after getting it free some time ago and finally got around to reading it. The main character Shelby is someone who is completely unprepared for the action-packed adventure she is about to be dropped into. Although she is often barely treading water in the scrapes she gets into, how many people could say they would do much better if thrust into these kinds of circumstances? As time goes on she gets a little better but growth comes slow for her since she has to deal with surviving dangerous situations as well as trying to cope and develop her newfound mind-reading skills. It was interesting enough for me to get the 2nd book which I just finished (and reviewed as well) and I will be moving onto the 3rd. The book is very much a PG-style rating and is free of much of the more colorful language and imagery that can plague books in this genre.

Her life changed that day because she didn't have any carrots. Funny, but it's true. Shelby Nichols was only supposed to buy carrots for her chicken soup that night when a mad masked man from outside the grocery store fired the gun and Shelby was grazed by a bullet. When she woke up, she saw two big dimples smiling down at her. And soon, she heard what Dimples was saying inside his head.

Weird.

Shelby Nichols soon heard everyone's thoughts and it's driving her crazy. She saw how her kids see her, she solved mysterious cases and helped the cops, got involved in a mob and learned that her husband's new officemate got a crush on him. Oh wait, it wasn't just a crush. Co-worker Kate was obsessed with her husband and had even wanted her dead. And because of her, Shelby met Uncle Joey. And her life suddenly changed.

Colleen Helme had written a debut novel that is worth anticipating. Shelby Nichols isn't flawless, isn't the usual kick-butt heroine we are hoping as a protagonist, but she definitely is personable, likeable and funny. Her mind-reading ability made her more lovable and realistic, albeit amateurish. I loved how she usually fumbled and got lost in everyone's thoughts.

Sometimes, all we need is an enjoyable book that will make us laugh out loud or simply sigh with relief and feel all the good vibes. Carrots, with all its healthy nutrients, definitely is a must read!

About this book. The main character, Shelby, is a quirky woman and very funny. The problem I have is that I found myself rooting for the bad guys. Shelby's interactions with the mafia boss, and his hitman/body guard were the most interesting and organic feeling. I'm undecided about reading more from this author. But if you are looking for a fun, easy read this is it.

This book is the first, in what is soon to be 7 books, in the Shelby Nichols Adventure series. All the other reviewers are going to tell you the story...........I'm not. Instead I want to tell you what I Thought about the story! After reading several books about the end of the world etc. I was looking for something a little bit lighter and found "Carrots". I guess I thought, it might be more of a lighthearted, romantic comedy type book. Well, it is & isn't! It's actually a very intense, lovable book, that kept me reading until one or two in the morning! You fall in love with Shelby right from the start & can't wait until you have more time to read. When you have finally finished it and hate for it to end, you find yourself looking for book number two! I put a note on the author's Facebook page, saying it was a lot like loving Nancy Drew books when I was younger, but more romance and danger! But also much more intense, and very rich in detail. I just finished book six and to sum it up, Wow! Each book seems to get me more involved. I will state each book could be read as a stand alone, but it's so much better to start with this first book, Carrots. To the author. Colleen, keep writing this series!! Can't wait for the next one!

The Shelby Nichols series is one that I’ve had my eye on since I featured one of the books on my blog. I was lucky enough to get the eBook Carrots, the first book in the series, for free when it was offered and then I was even more lucky to log onto my Audible app one day and be offered any free audiobook I wanted, so I grabbed Carrots for that offer.

There is a little bit of everything going on in the plot of Carrots, with the mafia, police investigations, and more. It’s humorous and silly, but also predictable. And, the covers for all ten books in the series are very appealing and attractive and the blurb for Carrots explains what happens in the story.

I found that the concept of our heroine getting a paranormal ability, of reading minds, to be cool and I liked that she had gumption and wanted to do something useful and legal with her gift, but then by the time I finished I was frustrated and not sure on how I felt about the story.

I had issues with Shelby: I thought I’d relate to her well, since she’s a stay at home mother and in her mid-thirty’s, but I ended up having a love / hate relationship with her. She seams smart, but she’s actually brainless, transpart, and couldn’t keep her mouth shut, which gets her in more trouble then she’s already in. I kept shacking my head at some of the things she did through out the story and was thinking; “really” and “keep your mouth shut”.

Then theirs her relationships: I couldn’t understand them. We have her family, which those where barely scratched on. Then theirs her husband, which it seams like she clearly loves him and he loves her, but we learn some things and this new ability puts strain on their relationship. I was also irritated by her anger at her husband over another women who is clearly trying to steal him even though he didn’t reciprocate those advances. While this was happening Shelby’s being all swoony over a police officer she calls “dimples” and Ramos “the hit man” who clearly will kill her if the head bad guy gives the orders.

Audio Narration: This is my first experience with narrator Wendy Tremont King. I have to say I enjoyed her narration. Liked her voices, though I will say some of the men weren’t different enough and I thought they sounded alike instead of individuals.

To sum things up I’m done with this series and won’t be trying anymore out. I wanted to be swept away on a cozy fun mystery, but ended up feeling perturbed and frustrated.